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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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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: last · deal · cell · firm · bowl · pit · content · bark

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. last — finally
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. firm — steady
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. content — happy
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. firm — decided
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. content — the amount
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. last — to go on
  23. firm — a company
  24. deal — to handle

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