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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. degree — temperature
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bark — to shout
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. degree — from a university
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. saw — the tool
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. hand — help
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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