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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mate — a friend
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mate — to breed
  10. degree — temperature
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mate — a partner
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. degree — from a university
  18. racket — for tennis

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