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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bass — the fish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rest — a break
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bark — to shout
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bass — low music
  19. degree — an amount
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bark — of a tree

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