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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. race — the arms race
  3. root — of a plant
  4. march — the month
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. race — humankind
  7. march — the month
  8. perch — the fish
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. march — music
  17. pit — in a race
  18. root — of a word
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. race — a contest
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pit — a hole

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