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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mug — to rob
  8. file — a document
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bear — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bear — the animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mug — a face
  22. file — a tool
  23. squash — the sport
  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