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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. ground — a position
  3. row — to paddle
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stand — to bear
  9. ground — crushed
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. row — a line
  15. game — a match
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. perch — the fish
  24. tube — a container

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