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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. race — the arms race
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. perch — the fish
  7. race — humankind
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ground — a position
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bear — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. race — a contest
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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