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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. perch — the fish
  5. key — for a lock
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stand — to bear
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. key — the most important part
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fine — all right
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. key — in music
  20. court — for sport
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. scale — in music
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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