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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. stand — to bear
  6. drill — a practice
  7. content — happy
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stock — shares
  14. drill — army training
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. content — the amount
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. snap — to click
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. lie — to recline
  24. content — videos and posts

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