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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. degree — an amount
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bark — to shout
  7. can — a tin
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pop — soda
  10. tube — a container
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pop — music
  13. can — to be able to
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pop — to visit
  21. degree — from a university
  22. can — a tin
  23. face — to confront
  24. degree — temperature

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