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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.

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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. stock — shares
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. capital — money
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chip — to eat
  12. capital — a city
  13. chip — for betting
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ground — a position
  21. stock — goods
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. ground — crushed

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