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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bark — to shout
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pop — music
  6. last — finally
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. board — a committee
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — final
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — in sport
  18. mark — a trace
  19. net — for catching
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pop — soda
  22. last — to go on
  23. net — after costs
  24. perch — for a bird

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