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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fine — all right
  4. fork — in a road
  5. staff — employees
  6. race — the arms race
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. race — a contest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — the amount
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — humankind
  14. staff — employees
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. content — happy
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wind — to turn a key

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