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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: cold · race · club · charge · perch · staff · saw · foot

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. charge — a price
  5. race — a contest
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. staff — a stick
  10. club — a group
  11. saw — the tool
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. staff — employees
  14. race — humankind
  15. club — for golf
  16. cold — not warm
  17. saw — the tool
  18. foot — a measure
  19. race — the arms race
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cold — an illness
  22. club — for dancing
  23. staff — employees
  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