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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 116 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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 — a contest
  2. drill — army training
  3. chip — for betting
  4. court — of law
  5. chip — to eat
  6. perch — the fish
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. race — the arms race
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. court — of a king
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. court — for sport
  17. drill — a practice
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. race — humankind
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. drill — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  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