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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rash — hasty
  7. game — a match
  8. club — a group
  9. rash — a series
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ball — a great time
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bark — to shout
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mark — a trace
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. club — for golf
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rash — on the skin

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