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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mark — a grade
  4. tube — the underground
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. degree — from a university
  10. tube — a container
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. sharp — clever
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. lie — to recline
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mark — a trace
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. degree — temperature
  24. straw — dry grass

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