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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 120 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bark — to shout
  13. branch — a division
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. sharp — clever
  18. court — of a king
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. court — of law
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. court — for sport
  24. branch — of a tree

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