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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. craft — boats
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mate — to breed
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. lie — to recline
  14. content — the amount
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rule — government
  20. content — happy
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rule — a law
  24. tear — from crying

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