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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — an injury
  8. root — of a plant
  9. tube — a container
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. content — happy
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. root — the cause
  16. court — for sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. court — of law
  19. root — of a word
  20. content — the amount
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mug — a face
  23. court — of a king
  24. tube — in a tire

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