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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. scale — in music
  9. land — ground
  10. club — a group
  11. stand — to bear
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bark — to shout
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. roll — a list
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. club — for golf
  24. roll — on a roll

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