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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. content — happy
  3. ball — a dance
  4. net — after costs
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. ball — a great time
  7. net — for catching
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. content — the amount
  14. bark — to shout
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. net — in sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fall — the season
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. safe — out of danger

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