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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stock — goods
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cue — for pool
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chair — a leader
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a friend
  13. stock — shares
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. mate — a partner
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chip — for betting
  18. hand — in cards
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bark — to shout

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