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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. race — humankind
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bound — obliged
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. race — a contest
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. land — a country
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bank — for money
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. race — the arms race
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. bound — certain
  19. land — to come down
  20. last — to go on
  21. bank — of a river
  22. land — ground
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bank — for money

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