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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: rest · cell · current · race · clip · perch · mug · toast

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — a video
  10. perch — the fish
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. current — happening now
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. current — electric
  18. rest — a break
  19. mug — a face
  20. current — of water
  21. race — a contest
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. mug — a cup
  24. clip — for paper

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