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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fine — all right
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. clip — for paper
  17. foot — a measure
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mate — to breed

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