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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: bark · degree · mouse · track · chair · can · sharp · squash

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. degree — from a university
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bark — to shout
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. degree — temperature
  8. track — a song
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. can — to be able to
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. can — a tin
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. can — a tin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. sharp — clever

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