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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bark — to shout
  12. degree — from a university
  13. dip — to sink
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. kick — in football
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. sharp — exactly
  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