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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 116 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. degree — from a university
  3. season — in sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. staff — employees
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. degree — temperature
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. bark — to shout
  19. degree — an amount
  20. staff — employees
  21. kick — in football
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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