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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. march — music
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. club — for golf
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bark — to shout
  9. club — for dancing
  10. march — the month
  11. perch — the fish
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. club — a group
  14. march — the month
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. track — a path
  17. net — for catching
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. snap — to click
  21. net — after costs
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. net — in sport

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