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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bear — the animal
  3. perch — the fish
  4. capital — a city
  5. mug — a face
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. capital — money
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mug — a cup
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wake — a trail
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. race — a contest
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mug — to rob
  22. deal — to handle
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. straw — a straw man

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