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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pop — soda
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. court — for sport
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pop — to visit
  11. race — humankind
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitch — completely
  15. race — a contest
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pop — music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. court — of law

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