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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. squash — to crush
  5. content — happy
  6. bark — to shout
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — to sink
  10. content — the amount
  11. squash — the sport
  12. kick — in football
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. drill — a practice
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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