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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. drill — army training
  8. squash — to crush
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cap — of ice
  11. field — a subject
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. perch — the fish
  16. net — after costs
  17. bark — to shout
  18. field — for sport
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cap — a lid
  21. net — in sport
  22. drill — a practice
  23. net — for catching
  24. field — farmland

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