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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bark — to shout
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mark — a grade
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mark — a trace
  15. content — the amount
  16. staff — employees
  17. content — happy
  18. staff — employees
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pound — a weight
  24. mouse — for a computer

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