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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. race — a contest
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. sharp — clever
  7. press — newspapers
  8. club — a group
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rush — hurry
  15. press — to push
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. club — for golf
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. race — humankind
  21. press — a publisher
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. race — the arms race
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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