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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mate — a friend
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. degree — an amount
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  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