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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 120 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hand — in cards
  3. land — to come down
  4. cue — for pool
  5. land — a country
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. race — humankind
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. cue — a hint
  19. hand — help
  20. race — a contest
  21. land — ground
  22. cue — a signal
  23. race — the arms race
  24. nail — for a hammer

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