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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: court · perch · race · wind · bowl · stick · prune · straw

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. race — the arms race
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. race — a contest
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. court — of law
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. court — of a king
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. prune — to trim
  24. court — for sport

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