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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. land — ground
  3. ground — a position
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cue — for pool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cue — a hint
  9. ground — crushed
  10. perch — the fish
  11. ground — the earth
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. land — a country
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cue — a signal
  23. land — to come down
  24. ball — a great time

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