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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · perch · leaves · clip · season · ruler · mug · roll

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. mug — to rob
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. race — humankind
  6. perch — the fish
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — a cake
  9. season — in sport
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mug — a cup
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. race — the arms race
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. clip — to cut
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mug — a face
  21. clip — for paper
  22. race — a contest
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. clip — a video

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