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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. mark — a trace
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mate — a friend
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bound — certain
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. content — happy
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mate — a partner

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