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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. ball — a great time
  3. root — of a word
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. toast — bread
  8. bark — to shout
  9. root — of a plant
  10. capital — a city
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. root — the cause
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. content — happy
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. content — the amount
  20. ball — a dance
  21. rule — a law
  22. capital — money
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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