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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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 — a dog's sound
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bark — to shout
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. content — happy
  11. ground — crushed
  12. face — part of the head
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pit — a hole
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pit — in a race
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. ground — a position
  23. bear — to put up with
  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