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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bark — to shout
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. net — for catching
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. content — happy
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. perch — the fish
  22. content — the amount
  23. net — after costs
  24. shower — rain

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