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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mug — to rob
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mug — a face
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mug — a cup
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. chest — a box
  9. march — the month
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. march — the month
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. season — of the year
  15. chest — of your body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. march — music
  22. season — in sport
  23. toast — bread
  24. stock — shares

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