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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fork — in a road
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. file — a tool
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fall — the season
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pitch — completely
  18. file — a document
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fall — to drop
  22. degree — an amount
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mouse — the animal

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