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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. track — a path
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. track — a song
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bark — to shout
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pit — in a race
  24. race — the arms race

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