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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: toast · drill · degree · capital · bark · rash · mouse · bowl

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. drill — a practice
  5. degree — temperature
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. rash — a series
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. toast — bread
  20. rash — hasty
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. toast — the most admired

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