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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rest — what's left
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bark — to shout
  11. shower — to wash
  12. present — the time now
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. shower — rain
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a horse colour

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