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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: bat · toast · kick · degree · bay · bark · bulb · jam

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. degree — an amount
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. degree — from a university
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bark — to shout
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — bread
  23. kick — in football
  24. bay — a horse colour

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