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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — the arms race
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. march — the month
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. can — to be able to
  10. net — for catching
  11. object — a thing
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — to sink
  14. march — the month
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. object — to protest
  18. perch — the fish
  19. net — in sport
  20. object — an aim
  21. spring — the season
  22. march — music
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. net — after costs

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