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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bound — certain
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. last — finally
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bark — to shout
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stock — goods
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. stock — shares
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. last — final
  21. bound — obliged
  22. spring — of water
  23. bound — tied together
  24. last — to go on

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