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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fine — high quality
  4. lean — to bend
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. clip — a video
  9. pop — music
  10. race — humankind
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fine — all right
  13. lean — thin
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pop — soda
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cabinet — ministers

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