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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. degree — temperature
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. degree — an amount
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. roll — a cake
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. safe — a strongbox

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