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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. file — a document
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. content — happy
  10. mate — to breed
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mate — a friend
  13. file — a line of people
  14. roll — a cake
  15. file — a tool
  16. ball — a great time
  17. roll — a list
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. content — the amount
  23. ball — a dance
  24. key — in music

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