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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. file — a line of people
  4. land — to come down
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. craft — boats
  8. file — a document
  9. last — finally
  10. content — the amount
  11. last — to go on
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. land — ground
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. file — a tool
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. craft — a skill
  20. land — a country
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. last — final
  23. bark — to shout
  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