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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ground — a position
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. race — a contest
  13. band — a music group
  14. spring — of water
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. spring — the season
  17. ground — crushed
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. band — a ring
  22. race — the arms race
  23. ground — the earth
  24. temple — side of the head

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