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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. season — of the year
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. track — a path
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pit — in a race
  13. content — happy
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. content — the amount
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. track — a song
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pit — a hole

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