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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cue — for pool
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. field — a subject
  8. content — the amount
  9. field — for sport
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. stock — shares
  16. field — farmland
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cue — a hint
  19. content — happy
  20. snap — to click
  21. spring — the season
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bark — to shout
  24. spring — of water

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