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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. charge — in control
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rule — a law
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bark — to shout
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rule — government
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. charge — a price
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wound — an injury
  22. clip — a video
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. mark — a grade

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