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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. content — happy
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bank — for money
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bank — for money
  7. content — the amount
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bank — of a river
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fine — all right
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mark — a grade
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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