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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. spell — letters
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. can — to be able to
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bark — to shout
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. club — for golf
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — a short time
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chest — a box
  13. content — the amount
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tube — a container
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. club — a group
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spell — magic
  21. fine — high quality
  22. chest — of your body
  23. can — a tin
  24. content — happy

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