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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. roll — a list
  5. degree — temperature
  6. roll — a cake
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bark — to shout
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. degree — an amount
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. ball — a great time
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. degree — from a university
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fan — to cool the air

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