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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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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: bore · race · fall · trunk · pop · suit · perch · game

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. suit — to fit
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. suit — clothes
  5. pop — to visit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bore — to tire
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. fall — to drop
  14. suit — in cards
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bore — to drill
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. game — a match
  19. pop — soda
  20. fall — the season
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pop — music
  23. perch — the fish
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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