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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bark — to shout
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. tear — from crying
  15. degree — an amount
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kick — in football
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. arm — a part of something

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