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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lean — thin
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wind — moving air
  14. season — of the year
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ball — a great time
  20. season — in sport
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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