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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. staff — employees
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. branch — a division
  6. court — for sport
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. rest — what's left
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rest — a break
  12. race — a contest
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. perch — the fish
  15. court — of law
  16. race — the arms race
  17. court — of a king
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. race — humankind
  24. mouse — the animal

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