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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. stock — shares
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bark — to shout
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pop — to visit
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. drill — the tool
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. drill — army training
  20. stock — goods
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mark — a trace
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. calf — of the leg

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