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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 116 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. cold — not warm
  4. track — to keep track
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. track — a path
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cue — for pool
  15. degree — temperature
  16. squash — the sport
  17. craft — boats
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cue — a hint
  20. track — a song
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. squash — to crush
  24. degree — an amount

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