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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. charge — a price
  4. rash — hasty
  5. degree — an amount
  6. club — a group
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. press — to push
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. charge — in control
  14. bark — to shout
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rash — a series
  20. degree — temperature
  21. club — for golf
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. press — a publisher

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