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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. content — the amount
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. content — happy
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. court — of a king
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. clip — to cut
  16. court — of law
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. clip — for paper
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. court — for sport
  21. clip — a video
  22. vault — a safe
  23. perch — the fish
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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