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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rest — a break
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. toast — bread
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. content — the amount
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bark — to shout
  24. content — happy

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