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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 124 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. degree — from a university
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bark — to shout
  7. ball — a dance
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. club — for golf
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ball — a great time
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stem — to come from
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. club — for dancing
  21. game — a match
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. club — a group

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