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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stock — goods
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rush — hurry
  8. present — there
  9. bear — the animal
  10. present — a gift
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. present — the time now
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. stock — shares
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. court — of a king
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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