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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. tear — from crying
  3. perch — the fish
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mug — to rob
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mug — a face
  18. present — there
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mug — a cup
  22. game — a match
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bat — in an idiom

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