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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bark — to shout
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. content — the amount
  6. court — of law
  7. present — there
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. stand — to bear
  11. court — for sport
  12. content — happy
  13. court — of a king
  14. present — the time now
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. present — a gift
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pound — to hit hard

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