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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 120 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — in sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. perch — the fish
  7. net — for catching
  8. rest — a break
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. net — after costs
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. race — a contest
  17. can — a tin
  18. bank — for money
  19. can — a tin
  20. race — humankind
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rash — hasty
  24. capital — a big letter

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