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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. race — a contest
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rock — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rock — a stone
  8. race — the arms race
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bank — for money
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. race — humankind
  17. pop — music
  18. drill — the tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. drill — army training

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