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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pop — soda
  3. present — the time now
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. present — a gift
  6. chair — a leader
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. object — to protest
  9. pop — to visit
  10. present — there
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. bark — to shout
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — a subject
  18. perch — the fish
  19. object — a thing
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. object — an aim
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pop — music

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