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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rock — a stone
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. race — humankind
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rock — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — of a king
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. court — of law
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — for sport
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. race — a contest

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