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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. content — happy
  6. cold — an illness
  7. last — final
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. last — to go on
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. last — finally
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cold — not warm
  24. content — the amount

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