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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stock — goods
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stock — shares
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. scale — in music
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wake — before a funeral

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