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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: pitcher · rest · tube · perch · race · safe · nail · last

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rest — a break
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rest — what's left
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. last — to go on
  8. rest — what's left
  9. race — a contest
  10. tube — a container
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. tube — the underground
  14. race — humankind
  15. last — finally
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. last — final
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — the arms race
  24. perch — for a bird

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