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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mug — a face
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. firm — steady
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. firm — decided
  10. mug — to rob
  11. land — to come down
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. land — ground
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. mug — a cup
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — a country
  21. stock — goods
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. court — of law
  24. wave — of the sea

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