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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rule — a law
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ball — a dance
  14. content — happy
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. content — the amount
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mark — a grade
  23. rule — government
  24. mouse — the animal

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