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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mate — a friend
  3. degree — temperature
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. net — for catching
  12. content — the amount
  13. net — after costs
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mate — to breed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. net — in sport

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