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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rule — a law
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. scale — in music
  13. content — the amount
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. rule — government
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rule — to rule out

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