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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: game · present · season · wake · race · deal · pop · perch

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. race — a contest
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wake — a trail
  6. present — there
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. race — humankind
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. deal — to handle
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pop — music
  13. present — the time now
  14. pop — to visit
  15. season — of the year
  16. game — a match
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. season — in sport
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. present — a gift
  21. game — wild animals
  22. race — the arms race
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pop — soda

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