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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: toast · chip · degree · bark · bear · ground · date · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ground — the earth
  10. toast — bread
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bark — to shout
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. degree — from a university
  15. ground — a position
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. chip — for betting
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. date — the fruit

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