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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. key — in music
  3. race — humankind
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. race — a contest
  10. key — the most important part
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. spring — the season
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. perch — the fish
  17. net — in sport
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. race — the arms race
  21. net — after costs
  22. spring — of water
  23. net — for catching
  24. spring — a coil

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