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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mark — a trace
  4. present — a gift
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bear — the animal
  9. root — of a word
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bear — the animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. present — there
  14. pound — a weight
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. swing — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. present — the time now
  23. root — the cause
  24. swing — in golf

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