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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. race — the arms race
  5. perch — the fish
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — hasty
  8. race — a contest
  9. rash — a series
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pop — music
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rule — a law
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. race — humankind
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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