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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. chip — for betting
  3. spell — magic
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. suit — to fit
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spring — of water
  12. degree — temperature
  13. spell — letters
  14. spring — the season
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. degree — from a university
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tear — to rip
  24. suit — in cards

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