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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: race · roll · coach · perch · chair · bulb · net · pop

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. race — a contest
  4. net — in sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. race — humankind
  7. roll — a list
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. race — the arms race
  10. roll — a cake
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pop — to visit
  15. perch — the fish
  16. net — after costs
  17. pop — soda
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bulb — for light
  23. net — for catching
  24. pop — music

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