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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pitch — completely
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mark — a trace
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bark — to shout

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