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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pop — soda
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stock — goods
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pop — music
  10. net — after costs
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stock — shares
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rash — a series
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. net — in sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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