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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bass — low music
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mug — a cup
  5. court — of a king
  6. degree — an amount
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. bass — the fish
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bound — certain

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