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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. drill — army training
  13. bark — to shout
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. drill — the tool
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pop — soda
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mark — a grade
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. pop — music
  24. drill — a practice

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