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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. race — the arms race
  3. land — a country
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kid — to tease
  6. march — the month
  7. land — ground
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. current — of water
  10. mark — a trace
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mark — a grade
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. race — humankind
  16. march — music
  17. current — happening now
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. current — electric
  20. race — a contest
  21. kid — child
  22. march — the month
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. land — to come down

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