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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — to shout
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. degree — from a university
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. perch — the fish
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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