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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mark — a grade
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bark — to shout
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pop — soda
  24. mark — a trace

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