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

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pound — a weight
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. capital — a city
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. tube — a container
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. capital — money
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — a permit
  24. capital — a big letter

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