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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. clip — to cut
  5. perch — the fish
  6. key — for a lock
  7. clip — a video
  8. race — humankind
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. clip — for paper
  12. race — a contest
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. saw — the tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. race — the arms race
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wax — to grow

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com