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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bark — to shout
  9. scale — size or range
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. sharp — clever
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pass — a permit
  24. calf — a young animal

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