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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitch — completely
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. last — finally
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. ground — a position
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. last — to go on
  14. lean — thin
  15. last — final
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cell — in biology
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cell — a phone
  22. content — happy
  23. lean — to bend
  24. content — the amount

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