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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stock — goods
  3. wind — moving air
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bark — to shout
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. present — a gift
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wind — moving air
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. present — the time now
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. present — there

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