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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. perch — the fish
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. race — humankind
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pass — a permit
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rock — music
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rock — a stone
  19. race — a contest
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. leaves — of a tree

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