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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stock — shares
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. field — a subject
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stock — goods
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — for sport
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mug — a face
  20. field — farmland
  21. mug — to rob
  22. staff — employees
  23. mug — a cup
  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