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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. club — for dancing
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cap — a hat
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. club — a group
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stand — to bear
  19. content — happy
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. content — the amount
  24. stand — on your feet

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