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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. tube — the underground
  5. perch — the fish
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ground — a position
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. tube — a container
  17. ground — the earth
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. ground — crushed
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. dip — to sink
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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