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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. suit — to fit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wind — moving air
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. suit — in cards
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wind — moving air
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. perch — the fish
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. suit — clothes
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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