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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. club — for dancing
  4. root — of a word
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. degree — an amount
  7. scale — in music
  8. club — for golf
  9. lie — to recline
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — size or range
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bark — to shout
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. vault — a safe
  20. root — the cause
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. degree — from a university
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bark — of a tree

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