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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — for catching
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. net — after costs
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bound — obliged
  10. file — a tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bound — tied together
  13. file — a document
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stock — goods
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. net — in sport
  20. stock — shares
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bark — to shout
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bound — certain

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