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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. race — a contest
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. chest — a box
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. stand — to bear
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bark — to shout
  15. race — humankind
  16. chest — of your body
  17. content — the amount
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. content — happy
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. race — the arms race

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