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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 124 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rule — a law
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. track — to keep track
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rule — government
  19. track — a song
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pass — a permit
  22. track — a path
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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