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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. race — humankind
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. sharp — clever
  8. march — music
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. race — the arms race
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. band — a ring
  14. plane — a tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. race — a contest
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. sharp — exactly

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