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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. content — the amount
  3. sharp — clever
  4. present — the time now
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pop — soda
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. pop — music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. object — an aim
  19. present — there
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. content — happy

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