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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mark — a grade
  4. stock — goods
  5. court — for sport
  6. rash — a series
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. court — of a king
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pit — in a race
  16. court — of law
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stock — shares
  24. pit — a hole

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