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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. degree — an amount
  3. march — the month
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. game — a match
  8. cue — for pool
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bore — to tire
  11. firm — decided
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. firm — a company
  19. bark — to shout
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bore — to drill
  24. firm — steady

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