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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stock — shares
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rock — a stone
  11. track — a song
  12. stock — goods
  13. track — to keep track
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. track — a path
  16. rock — music
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chest — of your body
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. chest — a box

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