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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. content — the amount
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — a hole
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. last — final
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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