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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rash — a series
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. key — the most important part
  5. race — humankind
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. race — a contest
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pass — a permit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. row — to paddle
  14. content — happy
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. row — a line
  18. rash — hasty
  19. race — the arms race
  20. perch — the fish
  21. key — in music
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. stem — to come from

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