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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — happening now
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. degree — temperature
  7. swing — in golf
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. current — of water
  14. swing — music
  15. bark — to shout
  16. degree — an amount
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. current — electric

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