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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. race — a contest
  4. mug — a face
  5. drill — army training
  6. mug — to rob
  7. drill — a practice
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mug — a cup
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stand — to bear
  15. drill — the tool
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. race — humankind
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. race — the arms race

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