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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. dip — to sink
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mate — to breed
  5. charge — a price
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. key — for a lock
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. drill — army training
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mate — a partner
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mate — a friend
  19. key — in music
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. charge — in control
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bark — to shout

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