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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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. race — the arms race
  4. swing — music
  5. season — of the year
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mug — a cup
  8. season — in sport
  9. face — to confront
  10. mug — to rob
  11. can — a tin
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mug — a face
  15. face — part of the head
  16. swing — in golf
  17. can — to be able to
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. race — a contest
  20. face — to point toward
  21. can — a tin
  22. race — humankind
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. trunk — of a car

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