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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. ground — crushed
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cue — for pool
  16. ground — a position
  17. degree — an amount
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cue — a signal
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fan — a supporter

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