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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stock — goods
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. spell — letters
  10. deal — to handle
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bark — to shout
  18. spell — magic
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. lie — to recline
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stock — shares
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. squash — the sport

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