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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. net — in sport
  4. bark — to shout
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wake — a trail
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pass — a permit
  10. net — for catching
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. perch — the fish
  20. net — after costs
  21. suit — to fit
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. perch — for a bird

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