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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 120 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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Word bank
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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 · pop · content · calf · ground · pitcher · foot · bay

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. content — happy
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. foot — a measure
  10. content — the amount
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ground — the earth
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pop — music
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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