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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 116 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bark — to shout
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. pop — soda
  19. spell — a short time
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pop — music
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spell — letters
  24. game — wild animals

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