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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 · temple · spell · squash · cap · pit · perch · clip

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — magic
  3. clip — to cut
  4. race — the arms race
  5. clip — a video
  6. pit — in a race
  7. perch — the fish
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. clip — for paper
  11. spell — letters
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cap — of ice
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. race — humankind
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cap — a hat
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cap — a lid
  22. race — a contest
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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