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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. content — the amount
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. swing — to play on
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mug — to rob
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. content — happy
  24. swing — music

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