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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. degree — an amount
  5. foot — a measure
  6. court — for sport
  7. hand — help
  8. drill — army training
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. drill — the tool
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. degree — temperature
  14. drill — a practice
  15. court — of a king
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. court — of law
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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