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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bulb — for light
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bulb — for light
  7. race — humankind
  8. clip — for paper
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. race — a contest
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wound — an injury
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. game — a match
  23. clip — a video
  24. cabinet — ministers

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