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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 120 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pop — music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. land — to come down
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pit — in a race
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pop — soda
  20. land — ground
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. land — a country
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. degree — an amount

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