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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pit — in a race
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. last — to go on
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bass — low music
  12. bark — to shout
  13. root — the cause
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. degree — temperature
  18. root — of a word
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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