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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: degree · sharp · dip · game · fork · bulb · face · bark

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. face — part of the head
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fork — in a road
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. game — a match
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. degree — temperature
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. face — to confront
  18. bulb — for light
  19. degree — an amount
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. game — wild animals
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bark — to shout
  24. sharp — with an edge

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