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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chair — a leader
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. swing — to play on
  10. degree — temperature
  11. sharp — clever
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. degree — an amount
  15. swing — music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. present — the time now
  18. mug — a face
  19. degree — from a university
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bark — to shout

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