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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stock — goods
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. row — to paddle
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pit — in a race
  9. row — a line
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bark — to shout
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. stock — shares
  18. spell — letters
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. spell — magic
  21. scale — in music
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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