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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pit — a hole
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. land — ground
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. content — happy
  16. game — a match
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pit — in a race
  19. land — to come down
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. land — a country
  23. game — wild animals
  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