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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. net — in sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. last — finally
  7. chair — a leader
  8. last — to go on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cue — for pool
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cue — a signal
  16. net — for catching
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cue — a hint
  20. swing — music
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. net — after costs
  23. root — of a plant
  24. last — final

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