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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. perch — the fish
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mug — to rob
  10. race — humankind
  11. mug — a cup
  12. key — the most important part
  13. tube — a container
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — after costs
  19. tube — the underground
  20. race — a contest
  21. mug — a face
  22. race — the arms race
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. key — in music

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