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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — in a road
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rest — a break
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bark — to shout
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rest — what's left
  15. perch — the fish
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitcher — a jug

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