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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. content — happy
  3. bark — to shout
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. craft — boats
  7. rock — music
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chip — for betting
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. craft — a skill
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. scale — in music
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. content — the amount
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pound — a weight
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. ground — a position

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