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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: perch · temple · pitcher · pit · race · march · squash · clip

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pit — in a race
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. squash — the sport
  9. perch — the fish
  10. clip — a video
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. march — the month
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pit — a hole
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. squash — to crush
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitcher — a jug

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