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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. scale — in music
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bound — obliged
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bark — to shout
  9. face — to point toward
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bound — certain
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mate — a partner
  14. face — to confront
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mate — to breed
  17. face — part of the head
  18. degree — temperature
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mate — a friend
  24. degree — from a university

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