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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: sharp · field · rule · ball · bowl · bark · bore · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. field — farmland
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. field — a subject
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. ball — a great time
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. field — for sport
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bark — to shout
  15. rule — a law
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rule — government
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. sharp — clever
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bore — to drill

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