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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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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: toast · ball · content · saw · rush · face · spell · bark

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. face — to point toward
  7. content — happy
  8. spell — a short time
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. toast — bread
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rush — hurry
  14. spell — magic
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. content — the amount
  19. ball — a great time
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. spell — letters
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bark — to shout

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