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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. race — humankind
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. race — a contest
  5. perch — the fish
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. cell — in biology
  8. board — to get on
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cell — a phone
  12. board — a committee
  13. court — for sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. court — of law
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — of a king
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. race — the arms race
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. key — the most important part

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