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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. game — wild animals
  3. race — the arms race
  4. game — a match
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — decided
  7. race — a contest
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. race — humankind
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mate — a partner
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. firm — a company
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cold — not warm

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