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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — a hole
  5. drill — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. drill — a practice
  13. branch — a division
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. drill — army training
  21. pit — in a race
  22. race — the arms race
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pass — to succeed

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