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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stock — goods
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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