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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. root — of a word
  5. charge — electricity
  6. degree — temperature
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. charge — a price
  9. mark — a trace
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bark — to shout
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. capital — a city
  15. charge — in control
  16. degree — an amount
  17. root — the cause
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. root — of a plant
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mark — a grade
  24. capital — money

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