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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. hand — help
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hand — in cards
  7. ball — a dance
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bark — to shout
  18. degree — temperature
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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