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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fine — high quality
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stock — goods
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wound — an injury
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stock — shares

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