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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mug — a cup
  5. drill — the tool
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. ball — a dance
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mug — to rob
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. game — a match
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mug — a face
  21. ball — a great time
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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