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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. season — of the year
  5. cell — a phone
  6. firm — a company
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. degree — an amount
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. firm — steady
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. season — in sport
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. firm — decided
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. degree — from a university
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rash — a series
  23. cell — in biology
  24. rash — hasty

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