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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. degree — temperature
  5. can — a tin
  6. swing — in golf
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. degree — an amount
  10. can — to be able to
  11. swing — music
  12. can — a tin
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tear — to rip
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. tear — from crying
  21. land — a country
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bark — to shout
  24. swing — to play on

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