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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bark — to shout
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wound — an injury
  7. dip — to sink
  8. game — a match
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. game — wild animals
  15. season — of the year
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. degree — temperature
  18. scale — in music
  19. degree — from a university
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. season — in sport
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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