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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · game · bowl · lie · capital · bulb · firm · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. content — happy
  3. bark — to shout
  4. game — a match
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. firm — decided
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. capital — a city
  10. content — the amount
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. capital — money
  16. firm — steady
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. game — wild animals
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. firm — a company
  24. lie — an untruth

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