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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — in a road
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. capital — a city
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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