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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fine — high quality
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — child
  12. bear — the animal
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. kid — to tease
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mark — a trace

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