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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. board — to get on
  3. key — for a lock
  4. race — a contest
  5. board — a committee
  6. ground — a position
  7. tear — from crying
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ground — crushed
  11. key — the most important part
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lean — thin
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. race — the arms race
  19. ground — the earth
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. key — in music
  23. race — humankind
  24. tear — to rip

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