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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 116 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. suit — to fit
  3. kid — child
  4. ground — a position
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. suit — in cards
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pit — in a race
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. suit — clothes
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. row — a line
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bear — the animal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bark — to shout

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