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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. deal — to handle
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chair — a leader
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pound — a weight
  22. content — the amount
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. trunk — of a car

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