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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. face — part of the head
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. degree — from a university
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ball — a great time
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bark — to shout
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. degree — temperature
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. degree — an amount
  19. dip — to sink
  20. hand — help
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. face — to confront
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hide — to keep secret

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