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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. craft — a skill
  4. tube — a container
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. race — a contest
  7. court — of a king
  8. pound — a weight
  9. court — for sport
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. craft — boats
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. race — humankind
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. tube — the underground
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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