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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 124 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. race — humankind
  3. roll — a list
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. vault — a safe
  9. race — a contest
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. race — the arms race
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stock — goods
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. chair — a leader
  24. roll — a cake

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