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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · perch · date · cell · last · bark · chair · scale

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. last — to go on
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bark — to shout
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. scale — size or range
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fine — all right
  15. perch — the fish
  16. scale — in music
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. last — final
  22. fine — high quality
  23. date — the fruit
  24. last — finally

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