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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. content — happy
  6. field — for sport
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. content — the amount
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spell — magic
  20. bear — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rush — hurry
  24. field — farmland

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