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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. content — the amount
  3. kick — in football
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. chip — for betting
  11. content — happy
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ball — a great time
  14. toast — bread
  15. spell — letters
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pass — a permit
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spell — a short time
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. spell — magic
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. content — videos and posts

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