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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bark — to shout
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. degree — an amount
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. charge — a price
  19. vault — a safe
  20. charge — electricity
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. degree — temperature
  23. charge — in control
  24. pound — to hit hard

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