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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. plane — a tool
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. stock — goods
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stock — shares
  24. kick — in football

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