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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fall — to drop
  12. toast — bread
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. degree — an amount
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bat — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mug — a cup
  24. toast — the most admired

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