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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. board — a committee
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. perch — the fish
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. race — humankind
  11. row — a line
  12. game — a match
  13. club — for golf
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. board — to get on
  17. race — a contest
  18. game — wild animals
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. club — for dancing
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. race — the arms race
  23. club — a group
  24. game — a kind of play

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