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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. degree — an amount
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bass — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. craft — boats
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bass — low music
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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