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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. band — a ring
  7. date — the fruit
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pit — a hole
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pit — in a race
  14. band — a music group
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bark — to shout
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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