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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. plane — a tool
  3. march — music
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. march — the month
  11. degree — temperature
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spell — magic
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spell — letters
  24. march — the month

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