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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: bowl · bark · bay · cap · bat · game · wake · content

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. game — a match
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bat — the animal
  23. content — happy
  24. bark — of a tree

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