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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — clever
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bore — to drill
  9. stock — shares
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stock — goods
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bore — to tire
  18. scale — in music
  19. suit — clothes
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — an injury

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