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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. present — a gift
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. present — the time now
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. object — a thing
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. drill — army training
  10. track — to keep track
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. present — there
  15. bark — to shout
  16. perch — the fish
  17. drill — a practice
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. object — to protest
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. object — an aim
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bark — of a tree
  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