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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mark — a grade
  7. roll — a cake
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. chest — a box
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mark — a trace
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. roll — a list
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chest — of your body

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