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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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. drill — army training
  4. degree — an amount
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bark — to shout
  8. drill — the tool
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. degree — temperature
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. present — a gift
  18. cue — a signal
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. face — to confront
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. drill — a practice

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