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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. tear — from crying
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. court — of law
  12. ground — a position
  13. wound — an injury
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — for sport
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. court — of a king
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — the fish
  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