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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 116 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: perch · track · rest · row · race · hand · board · key

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rest — what's left
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. key — in music
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. board — to get on
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rest — a break
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. track — a path
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hand — help
  21. key — the most important part
  22. row — a line
  23. perch — the fish
  24. board — a committee

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