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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · degree · rule · rock · shower · bark · game · swing

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bark — to shout
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rock — music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. kick — in football
  7. shower — rain
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. degree — from a university
  10. swing — music
  11. rule — government
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. swing — to play on
  15. degree — an amount
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. shower — to wash
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. kick — a thrill

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