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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 120 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — a country
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pit — in a race
  10. land — ground
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pit — a hole
  13. land — to come down
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chest — of your body
  19. race — the arms race
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chest — a box
  23. race — a contest
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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