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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · craft · rash · content · bowl · chest · kick · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rash — hasty
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. content — the amount
  7. craft — boats
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. content — happy
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. kick — in football
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rash — a series
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chest — a box

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