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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pop — to visit
  4. object — to protest
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pop — music
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. clip — a video
  10. race — a contest
  11. object — a thing
  12. race — the arms race
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. race — humankind
  15. pop — soda
  16. clip — for paper
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rash — hasty
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stock — goods
  21. object — an aim
  22. stock — shares
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. clip — to cut

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