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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rush — hurry
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. race — the arms race
  9. scale — in music
  10. race — a contest
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bulb — for light
  19. game — a match
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — the fish

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