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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. hand — in cards
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pop — music
  12. hand — help
  13. rock — a stone
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pop — to visit
  17. race — humankind
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. race — a contest
  23. pop — soda
  24. perch — the fish

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