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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. season — of the year
  5. race — the arms race
  6. shower — rain
  7. race — humankind
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. race — a contest
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. shower — to wash
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bark — to shout
  19. season — in sport
  20. stock — goods
  21. key — in music
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stock — shares

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