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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hand — help
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. club — for dancing
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bore — to drill
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. race — the arms race
  12. track — a path
  13. club — a group
  14. season — of the year
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — to tire
  17. track — to keep track
  18. club — for golf
  19. race — humankind
  20. hand — in cards
  21. track — a song
  22. season — in sport
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. arm — a part of something

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