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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. band — a music group
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stock — goods
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. plane — a tool
  22. band — a ring
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bark — of a tree

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