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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cold — not warm
  8. race — a contest
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cue — a hint
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cue — for pool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. race — humankind
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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