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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. degree — from a university
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. content — happy
  10. board — to get on
  11. degree — an amount
  12. snap — to click
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pop — soda
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bark — of a tree

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