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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stock — shares
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fork — in a road
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. squash — the sport
  15. club — for golf
  16. fall — the season
  17. bark — to shout
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. ground — a position
  24. club — a group

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