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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. land — to come down
  3. pop — to visit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. court — for sport
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. land — ground
  10. court — of law
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. court — of a king
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cue — a signal
  15. pop — music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. land — a country
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pop — soda
  21. cue — for pool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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