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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. game — a match
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stock — shares
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. suit — clothes
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. suit — to fit
  12. stock — goods
  13. track — a song
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. track — a path
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bark — to shout
  24. suit — in cards

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