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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. mug — a cup
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. land — ground
  6. hand — in cards
  7. current — electric
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. content — happy
  10. land — a country
  11. hand — help
  12. current — happening now
  13. fine — high quality
  14. content — the amount
  15. mug — to rob
  16. land — to come down
  17. current — of water
  18. fine — all right
  19. bark — to shout
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mug — a face

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