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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pitch — completely
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. scale — in music
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rest — what's left
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rest — a break
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. perch — the fish
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. root — of a plant
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pitch — a sports field

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