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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. deal — to handle
  5. tube — a container
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. degree — an amount
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. bass — low music
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bass — the fish
  23. chair — a leader
  24. degree — from a university

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