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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 120 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chest — a box
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. track — a path
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. track — to keep track
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. perch — the fish
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. track — a song
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hand — help

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