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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. saw — the tool
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bound — tied together
  10. present — the time now
  11. bound — certain
  12. rash — hasty
  13. file — a line of people
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. file — a tool
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rash — a series
  19. present — there
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. file — a document
  22. present — a gift
  23. vault — a safe
  24. rash — on the skin

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