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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mug — a cup
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. race — humankind
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mug — to rob
  10. last — final
  11. race — a contest
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. suit — clothes
  15. deal — to handle
  16. suit — to fit
  17. last — finally
  18. suit — in cards
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mug — a face
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. last — to go on

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