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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pop — music
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pitch — completely
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. chair — a leader
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pop — soda
  21. perch — the fish
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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