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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. scale — in music
  3. object — an aim
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. object — a thing
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. object — to protest
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kid — to tease
  21. swing — music
  22. kid — child
  23. swing — to play on
  24. scale — size or range

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