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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · dip · sharp · degree · chair · kid · bark · track

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. kid — child
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. track — a song
  7. chair — a leader
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. staff — employees
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bark — to shout
  15. dip — to sink
  16. sharp — clever
  17. track — to keep track
  18. staff — employees
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. degree — an amount
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. track — a path
  24. kid — to tease

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