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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mark — a trace
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spell — letters
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. ground — a position
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ground — the earth
  19. suit — to fit
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bark — to shout
  24. spell — magic

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