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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — in cards
  5. track — a song
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bound — tied together
  17. march — the month
  18. rush — hurry
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — music
  22. track — a path
  23. hand — help
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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