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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chair — a leader
  3. object — a thing
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bark — to shout
  6. content — happy
  7. object — an aim
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bulb — for light
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pass — a permit
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pit — a hole
  15. root — of a word
  16. object — to protest
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. content — the amount
  22. root — the cause
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. root — of a plant

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