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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ground — a position
  4. ball — a dance
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. can — a tin
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. can — a tin
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. can — to be able to
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. race — humankind
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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