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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. court — of law
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. foot — a measure
  8. season — of the year
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. suit — clothes
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. season — in sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pound — for dogs

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