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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. march — the month
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pound — a weight
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. key — in music
  11. march — the month
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — music
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bark — to shout
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. key — the most important part

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