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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. craft — boats
  3. mark — a grade
  4. degree — temperature
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mug — to rob
  13. degree — from a university
  14. game — a match
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mug — a face
  21. mark — a trace
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mug — a cup
  24. perch — the fish

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