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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. stock — shares
  10. chip — for betting
  11. stock — goods
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. press — to push
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bark — to shout

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