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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rest — what's left
  7. last — final
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bark — to shout
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bear — the animal
  19. row — a line
  20. last — finally
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. last — to go 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