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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cold — not warm
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. drill — army training
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bass — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fall — the season
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bass — low music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fan — to cool the air

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