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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mug — a face
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. perch — the fish
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bore — to tire
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bore — to drill
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. kid — child
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mug — a cup
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. kick — with a leg

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