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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pit — a hole
  12. track — a path
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. degree — temperature
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pit — in a race
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. track — a song
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bark — to shout

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