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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bark — to shout
  7. content — happy
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mark — a grade
  18. club — a group
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. content — the amount
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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