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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. perch — the fish
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pop — music
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pop — to visit
  10. last — finally
  11. pitch — completely
  12. kid — to tease
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — final
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pop — soda
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. last — to go on
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. kid — child
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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