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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. drill — army training
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. current — electric
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bark — to shout
  15. current — of water
  16. drill — a practice
  17. suit — clothes
  18. degree — from a university
  19. current — happening now
  20. degree — an amount
  21. deal — to handle
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. suit — to fit

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