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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · march · deal · perch · stick · race

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. firm — steady
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. firm — a company
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. firm — decided
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. march — music
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. race — humankind

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