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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: board · arm · race · perch · press · drill · rest · cap

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. race — the arms race
  3. board — a committee
  4. race — a contest
  5. drill — army training
  6. press — newspapers
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. race — humankind
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. press — to push
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. board — to get on
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cap — a hat
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cap — of ice
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cap — a lid
  24. drill — a practice

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