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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stem — to come from
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lean — thin
  7. scale — in music
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. scale — size or range
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mark — a grade
  18. lean — to bend
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ball — a dance
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pitch — completely

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