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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. tube — a container
  3. bark — to shout
  4. can — a tin
  5. stock — shares
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stock — goods
  10. can — a tin
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chair — a leader
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wake — a trail
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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