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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cell — in biology
  6. march — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. race — a contest
  9. cap — a hat
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. march — the month
  14. race — humankind
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cap — a lid
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cap — of ice
  20. race — the arms race
  21. march — the month
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rush — hurry
  24. perch — the fish

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