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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fine — high quality
  9. degree — from a university
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. drill — army training
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. suit — clothes
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fine — all right
  23. suit — to fit
  24. pit — in a race

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