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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — in sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. club — a group
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. content — the amount
  9. club — for golf
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. content — happy
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bat — the animal
  14. net — for catching
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. suit — to fit
  21. net — after costs
  22. club — for dancing
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. content — videos and posts

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