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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. date — the fruit
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitch — completely
  17. drill — a practice
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. drill — army training
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. drill — the tool

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