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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. track — a path
  3. swing — music
  4. race — a contest
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. perch — the fish
  9. swing — to play on
  10. track — to keep track
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. race — humankind
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stock — shares
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. spell — a short time
  20. race — the arms race
  21. spell — letters
  22. stock — goods
  23. spell — magic
  24. track — a song

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