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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bark — to shout
  16. charge — in control
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. degree — an amount
  24. charge — a price

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