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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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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: kick · stick · lie · swing · dip · bay · bark · degree

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. dip — to sink
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. degree — temperature
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — from a university
  13. swing — in golf
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — in football
  16. swing — music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. lie — to recline
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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