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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wind — moving air
  3. craft — boats
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pit — a hole
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chair — a leader
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. club — a group
  14. pit — in a race
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. club — for dancing
  17. date — the fruit
  18. club — for golf
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wind — moving air

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