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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chest — a box
  3. chip — for betting
  4. last — finally
  5. suit — to fit
  6. content — happy
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bore — to tire
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — in cards
  18. last — to go on
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. content — the amount
  23. bore — to drill
  24. last — final

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