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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. shower — rain
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. content — happy
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. content — the amount
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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