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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. race — a contest
  5. bass — the fish
  6. scale — in music
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bass — low music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. race — humankind
  11. press — to push
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. press — newspapers
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. press — a publisher
  22. row — to paddle
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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