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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stock — shares
  4. fine — all right
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. board — to get on
  11. court — for sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stock — goods
  17. board — a committee
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. court — of a king
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fine — high quality
  22. kick — in football
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. court — of law

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