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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fine — high quality
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bark — to shout
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fine — all right
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. degree — from a university
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. row — to paddle
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cue — a signal
  23. row — a line
  24. degree — an amount

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