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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cell — in biology
  5. file — a line of people
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. content — the amount
  8. face — to confront
  9. content — happy
  10. cue — for pool
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pop — music
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cue — a signal
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cell — a phone
  20. file — a tool
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cue — a hint
  24. file — a document

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