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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bark — to shout
  6. present — the time now
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. present — there
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — a friend
  22. present — a gift
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mine — an explosive

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