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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. staff — employees
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mate — a friend
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. degree — temperature
  17. staff — a stick
  18. degree — from a university
  19. staff — employees
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mate — a partner
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  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