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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. last — to go on
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. last — final
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. board — to get on
  9. stock — goods
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bark — to shout
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. capital — money
  21. stock — shares
  22. board — a committee
  23. capital — a city
  24. last — finally

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