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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: snap · degree · hide · key · nail · board · bat · bark

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. degree — an amount
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bat — the animal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bark — to shout
  10. degree — from a university
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. key — the most important part
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. degree — temperature
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. key — for a lock
  23. snap — to click
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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