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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. race — humankind
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bark — to shout
  5. tear — from crying
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. tear — to rip
  9. can — a tin
  10. ball — a great time
  11. content — happy
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kid — child
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. ball — a dance
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. race — a contest
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bark — of a tree

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