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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. perch — the fish
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stand — to bear
  12. content — happy
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bark — to shout
  15. kid — child
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mark — a trace
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. content — the amount

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