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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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 — all right
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. content — happy
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. content — the amount
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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