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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. scale — in music
  3. track — a song
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rule — government
  10. lie — to recline
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. track — to keep track
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. perch — the fish
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. track — a path
  24. scale — size or range

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