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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. spring — the season
  8. bark — to shout
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wind — moving air
  11. suit — clothes
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. suit — to fit
  15. spring — of water
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kick — in football
  19. wind — moving air
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. degree — from a university
  24. kick — with a leg

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