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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. band — a music group
  4. ball — a dance
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. degree — an amount
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ball — a great time
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bark — to shout
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stock — shares
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. band — a ring
  24. stock — goods

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