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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mate — to breed
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. degree — from a university
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mate — a partner
  18. foot — a measure
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mate — a friend
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. cold — an illness
  24. foot — the bottom

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