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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. swing — to play on
  4. kick — in football
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. charge — electricity
  9. field — a subject
  10. rest — what's left
  11. charge — in control
  12. bark — to shout
  13. swing — music
  14. rest — a break
  15. swing — in golf
  16. charge — a price
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. field — for sport
  19. date — the fruit
  20. field — farmland
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rest — what's left
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. perch — for a bird

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