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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 120 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. chest — a box
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bulb — for light
  10. season — in sport
  11. degree — an amount
  12. court — of law
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. court — for sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bulb — for light
  18. sharp — clever
  19. season — of the year
  20. court — of a king
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chest — of your body
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. sharp — exactly

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