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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. object — to protest
  3. bark — to shout
  4. degree — an amount
  5. firm — decided
  6. ground — the earth
  7. file — a line of people
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. file — a document
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. object — a thing
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. file — a tool
  17. firm — steady
  18. object — an aim
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. ground — a position
  22. vault — a safe
  23. firm — a company
  24. ground — crushed

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