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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. degree — from a university
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. degree — an amount
  6. season — in sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. prune — to trim
  12. content — the amount
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. content — happy
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. season — of the year
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. season — to add flavour

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