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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rock — a stone
  4. scale — size or range
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. land — a country
  8. rock — music
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — to come down
  15. tear — to rip
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. mate — a partner
  19. land — ground
  20. charge — electricity
  21. tear — from crying
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. scale — in music
  24. mate — a friend

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