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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. race — humankind
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. race — the arms race
  7. last — final
  8. court — of law
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — to go on
  12. court — of a king
  13. march — the month
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — finally
  19. perch — the fish
  20. march — music
  21. race — a contest
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — the month

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