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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bark — to shout
  6. charge — a price
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kick — in football
  9. board — to get on
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — temperature
  12. charge — electricity
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. board — a committee
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. row — a line
  19. charge — in control
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. degree — from a university
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. row — to paddle

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