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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pop — soda
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pop — music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wound — an injury
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. race — a contest
  12. band — a ring
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pop — to visit
  20. band — a music group
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. foot — a measure
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. race — humankind

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