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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rock — music
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. last — final
  6. scale — size or range
  7. last — finally
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. scale — in music
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rock — a stone
  13. stock — goods
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cue — a signal
  17. last — to go on
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cue — for pool
  20. stock — shares
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. scale — for weighing

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