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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pitch — completely
  11. game — a match
  12. content — the amount
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pit — in a race
  21. content — happy
  22. game — wild animals
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. fork — a garden tool

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