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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · pound · mark · perch · race · foot · spring · bat

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — of water
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. bat — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mark — a grade
  23. perch — the fish
  24. spring — the season

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