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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. court — of a king
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. lie — to recline
  7. court — of law
  8. spell — a short time
  9. degree — from a university
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rash — a series
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mate — a friend
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. court — for sport
  21. mate — a partner
  22. spell — magic
  23. degree — an amount
  24. spell — letters

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