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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bound — certain
  6. foot — a measure
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. face — to point toward
  10. degree — temperature
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. craft — boats
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. face — to confront
  16. bound — obliged
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. degree — an amount
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. craft — a skill

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