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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. content — the amount
  6. bark — to shout
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. capital — money
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pop — music
  11. content — happy
  12. shower — rain
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. present — there
  15. shower — to wash
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. present — a gift
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pop — soda
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pop — to visit
  23. capital — a city
  24. present — the time now

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