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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mug — a face
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pound — a weight
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. perch — the fish
  13. race — the arms race
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. firm — decided
  16. deal — to handle
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bat — the animal
  19. race — humankind
  20. firm — steady
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. race — a contest
  24. firm — a company

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