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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. deal — to handle
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. march — the month
  5. perch — the fish
  6. race — humankind
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. tear — from crying
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — from crying
  14. race — a contest
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. net — after costs
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. sharp — clever
  21. tear — to rip
  22. net — for catching
  23. march — music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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