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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bark — to shout
  6. content — happy
  7. ground — the earth
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. content — the amount
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. staff — employees
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ground — a position
  17. staff — a stick
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — goods
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stock — shares
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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