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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. degree — from a university
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a document
  9. degree — temperature
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bark — to shout
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pound — a weight
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ball — a great time
  20. file — a tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. ball — a dance
  23. degree — an amount
  24. nail — for a hammer

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