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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. squash — to crush
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. current — electric
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stock — goods
  16. current — happening now
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. squash — the sport
  19. current — of water
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lie — to recline
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lie — an untruth

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