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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. content — happy
  4. race — humankind
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. race — a contest
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. club — for golf
  14. content — the amount
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. club — a group
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. club — for dancing
  24. race — the arms race

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