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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. row — a line
  5. march — music
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bark — to shout
  8. shower — to wash
  9. row — to paddle
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bound — obliged
  14. content — the amount
  15. pass — a permit
  16. march — the month
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bound — certain
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — the month
  22. content — happy
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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