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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 116 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 common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. snap — to click
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. present — a gift
  8. chip — to eat
  9. can — a tin
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. present — there
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. can — to be able to
  16. present — the time now
  17. bark — to shout
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chip — for betting
  22. face — to confront
  23. can — a tin
  24. dip — to sink

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