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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — tied together
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rash — a series
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — hasty
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — humankind
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bound — certain
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. race — a contest

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