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

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bark — to shout
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. swing — to play on
  7. game — a match
  8. swing — music
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. swing — in golf
  11. press — to push
  12. mark — a trace
  13. press — a publisher
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. mark — a grade
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. game — a kind of play

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