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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. perch — the fish
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. key — the most important part
  7. march — the month
  8. mate — a friend
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — to breed
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. march — the month
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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