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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spell — letters
  6. pop — music
  7. ground — a position
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. ground — the earth
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. land — ground
  15. ball — a dance
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ball — a great time
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. ground — crushed
  24. suit — clothes

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