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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bark — to shout
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. present — a gift
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. present — there
  10. content — the amount
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. content — happy
  14. rash — hasty
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. race — humankind
  20. hand — help
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rash — a series
  24. present — the time now

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