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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. current — electric
  8. rule — a law
  9. pound — a weight
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. race — the arms race
  13. band — a ring
  14. current — happening now
  15. rule — government
  16. squash — the sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. race — humankind
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. current — of water
  21. race — a contest
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. band — a music group

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