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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mug — to rob
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bark — to shout
  8. perch — the fish
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. staff — employees
  11. squash — to crush
  12. land — ground
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mug — a cup
  17. land — to come down
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. plane — a tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. land — a country
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. staff — employees
  24. mug — a face

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