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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: bark · game · clip · lie · bowl · degree · cue · bass

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lie — to recline
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bass — low music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. clip — a video
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. degree — temperature
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. game — a match

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