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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 124 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bank — for money
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. degree — an amount
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ground — the earth
  10. toast — bread
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitch — completely
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bark — to shout
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bank — for money
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. ground — a position
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. straw — a straw man

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