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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: clip · sharp · race · lash · cap · drill · leaves · perch

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. drill — a practice
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cap — of ice
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. clip — a video
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cap — a hat
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. sharp — clever
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. sharp — exactly

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