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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. snap — to click
  9. object — an aim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rock — music
  16. object — to protest
  17. craft — boats
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. object — a thing
  20. stock — goods
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pitcher — a jug

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