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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — a partner
  3. court — of a king
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mate — a friend
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mate — to breed
  13. court — of law
  14. craft — boats
  15. fine — all right
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — the amount
  18. bore — to tire
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fine — high quality
  21. court — for sport
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. content — happy

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