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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. court — of a king
  4. field — a subject
  5. lean — thin
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bank — for money
  8. perch — the fish
  9. object — to protest
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. field — farmland
  12. bank — of a river
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. court — of law
  16. field — for sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. object — an aim
  19. lean — to bend
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. object — a thing
  24. snap — to click

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