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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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. craft — boats
  4. net — after costs
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chest — of your body
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. net — in sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — for catching
  14. race — humankind
  15. rash — hasty
  16. foot — a measure
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. race — a contest
  21. ground — a position
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — a skill

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