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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. squash — to crush
  5. charge — a price
  6. foot — a measure
  7. charge — electricity
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. degree — from a university
  13. charge — in control
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rash — a series
  19. degree — an amount
  20. tube — a container
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. tube — in a tire

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