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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. squash — the sport
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. can — a tin
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — decided
  15. squash — to crush
  16. firm — a company
  17. can — a tin
  18. bark — to shout
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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