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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mark — a trace
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pop — music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cap — a lid
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chest — of your body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. cap — a hat
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pop — soda
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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