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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pound — a weight
  7. game — a match
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. toast — bread
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. degree — temperature
  14. season — of the year
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. degree — an amount
  20. game — wild animals
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. scale — size or range

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