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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. present — there
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. current — of water
  10. march — music
  11. can — a tin
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kick — in football
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. perch — the fish
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chest — of your body

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