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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — a song
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. track — a path
  12. perch — the fish
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. row — a line
  16. mark — a trace
  17. row — to paddle
  18. scale — in music
  19. track — to keep track
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cap — of ice

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