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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. club — for golf
  3. tube — the underground
  4. perch — the fish
  5. last — finally
  6. rest — what's left
  7. last — final
  8. club — a group
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. last — to go on
  13. tube — a container
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. race — humankind
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rest — what's left
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. club — for dancing
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chair — a leader
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rest — a break
  24. craft — a skill

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