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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. squash — to crush
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bark — to shout
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stand — to bear
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hand — help
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. squash — the sport
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. plane — a tool

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