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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. present — the time now
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. sharp — clever
  5. spell — magic
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. net — after costs
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. content — happy
  13. net — in sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. spell — letters
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. content — the amount
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. net — for catching

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