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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pound — a weight
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. kick — in football
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. perch — the fish
  16. march — the month
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. march — music
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. sharp — clever
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bear — the animal

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