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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. degree — an amount
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — crushed
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. net — for catching
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. row — a line
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fork — in a road
  22. net — after costs
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. net — in sport

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