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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. hand — in cards
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stock — shares
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bulb — for light
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bark — to shout
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bound — certain
  20. stock — goods
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bulb — of a plant

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