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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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Word bank
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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 it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — wild animals
  4. race — humankind
  5. club — for dancing
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. perch — the fish
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. race — the arms race
  16. game — a match
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. race — a contest
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chair — a leader
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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