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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. perch — the fish
  7. race — a contest
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. clip — a video
  12. bat — the animal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. clip — to cut
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. foot — a measure
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. race — humankind

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