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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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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: plane · present · pit · race · rash · roll · perch · chair

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. race — a contest
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. roll — a cake
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. roll — a list
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pit — a hole
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. pit — in a race
  16. present — the time now
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. chair — a leader
  21. race — humankind
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rash — a series
  24. chair — to sit on

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