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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. race — humankind
  3. perch — the fish
  4. root — the cause
  5. club — for golf
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pit — in a race
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. shower — rain
  12. club — a group
  13. race — a contest
  14. root — of a plant
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pit — a hole
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. root — of a word

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