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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chip — to eat
  11. snap — to click
  12. wake — a trail
  13. perch — the fish
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. net — after costs
  17. race — a contest
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. club — for golf
  20. scale — in music
  21. club — a group
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. chip — for betting
  24. club — for dancing

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