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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rule — government
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rule — a law
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitch — completely
  10. race — humankind
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. race — a contest
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitch — a sports field

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