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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mug — a face
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. club — a group
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mug — to rob
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. club — for golf
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. race — a contest
  21. last — to go on
  22. mug — a cup
  23. race — humankind
  24. pit — in a race

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