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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: race · jam · pop · chest · wave · perch · bowl · foot

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. chest — a box
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chest — of your body
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pop — music
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. race — the arms race
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. perch — the fish
  15. race — humankind
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. chest — of your body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. race — a contest
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bowl — to roll

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