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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stock — goods
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. file — a line of people
  9. root — of a word
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stock — shares
  12. file — a tool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. root — the cause
  21. file — a document
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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