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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. object — to protest
  11. bark — to shout
  12. object — an aim
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. object — a thing
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rest — a break
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. season — of the year

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