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

Word bank: bark · lie · pit · ground · object · perch · degree · club

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. degree — from a university
  5. club — for dancing
  6. ground — the earth
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. object — an aim
  12. pit — in a race
  13. object — a thing
  14. ground — a position
  15. object — to protest
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bark — to shout
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — an amount
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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