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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. season — of the year
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bear — the animal
  16. key — in music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. degree — an amount

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