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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cap — a hat
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wound — an injury
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cap — a lid
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cap — of ice
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. date — the fruit
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pit — in a race
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. race — humankind
  24. perch — for a bird

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