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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 120 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. object — to protest
  3. ball — a dance
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. kick — in football
  7. track — a song
  8. bark — to shout
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rock — a stone
  14. object — a thing
  15. track — to keep track
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. object — an aim
  18. rock — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. track — a path
  23. ball — a great time
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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