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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: degree · bat · safe · drill · mark · bark · cue · spell

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mark — a grade
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bark — to shout
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cue — for pool
  16. spell — magic
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. drill — army training
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spell — letters
  22. mark — a trace
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — a hint

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