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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. can — a tin
  6. pound — a weight
  7. capital — a city
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. key — in music
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. perch — the fish
  15. can — a tin
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. can — to be able to
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. capital — money
  24. key — for a lock

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