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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cue — a hint
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. file — a tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rash — a series
  20. cue — for pool
  21. hand — in cards
  22. file — a document
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pit — a hole

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