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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bark — to shout
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. scale — in music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. charge — electricity
  15. row — a line
  16. degree — temperature
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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