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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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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: row · fall · chest · bay · perch · cue · content · race

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. race — humankind
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chest — a box
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chest — of your body
  9. race — the arms race
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chest — of your body
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. fall — to drop
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cue — for pool
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. content — happy
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. race — a contest
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. content — the amount

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