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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. march — music
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stock — goods
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cue — a signal
  21. march — the month
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bear — the animal

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