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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ground — a position
  6. wind — moving air
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. ground — crushed
  12. scale — size or range
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. scale — in music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — a gift
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. perch — the fish
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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