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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. key — in music
  8. perch — the fish
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bark — to shout
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pop — soda
  14. land — ground
  15. key — for a lock
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — a country
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. land — to come down
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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