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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bound — obliged
  10. capital — a city
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pop — soda
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bound — certain
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pop — music
  21. capital — money
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. deal — to handle

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