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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chest — of your body
  4. content — happy
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. suit — clothes
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bore — to tire
  12. suit — to fit
  13. chest — a box
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bore — to drill
  20. suit — in cards
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bark — to shout

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