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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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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: row · present · snap · race · cabinet · pass · perch · field

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. race — a contest
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. row — a line
  8. present — the time now
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. race — the arms race
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. field — for sport
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. present — there
  17. field — a subject
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. race — humankind
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. field — farmland
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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