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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. present — there
  3. hand — help
  4. race — a contest
  5. pitch — completely
  6. present — a gift
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a ring
  17. present — the time now
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rest — what's left
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bulb — for light
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rest — a break

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