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

Word bank: perch · bark · pound · degree · stock · chair · key · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. key — in music
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. key — the most important part
  10. chair — a leader
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stock — shares
  13. key — for a lock
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bark — to shout
  20. degree — temperature
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stock — goods

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