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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. chest — a box
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. degree — from a university
  11. firm — decided
  12. swing — music
  13. firm — steady
  14. rock — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rock — a stone
  18. object — a thing
  19. chest — of your body
  20. object — an aim
  21. degree — temperature
  22. object — to protest
  23. firm — a company
  24. ground — a position

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