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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rock — a stone
  3. march — the month
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a face
  12. march — the month
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cold — not warm
  18. march — music
  19. stock — shares
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stock — goods
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rock — music
  24. mug — a cup

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