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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. game — a match
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. court — of law
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mate — to breed
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rock — music
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. lean — to bend
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rock — a stone
  16. lean — thin
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mate — a partner

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