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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. drill — the tool
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. staff — a stick
  9. clip — a video
  10. drill — army training
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rock — music
  14. staff — employees
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. staff — employees
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rock — a stone
  20. degree — temperature
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. foot — a measure
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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