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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rule — government
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. race — a contest
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bulb — for light
  12. race — humankind
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. perch — the fish
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rush — hurry
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. race — the arms race

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