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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: perch · stick · race · stem · bowl · pitcher · court · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. staff — a stick
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. race — humankind
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. court — for sport
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. court — of law
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. race — the arms race
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — of a king
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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