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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. content — happy
  9. mine — for digging
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — to go on
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bark — to shout
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. content — the amount
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. safe — out of danger

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