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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rule — a law
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. race — humankind
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. content — the amount
  8. perch — the fish
  9. race — a contest
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rule — government
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bound — obliged
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. scale — in music
  20. hand — help
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. content — happy
  24. perch — for a bird

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