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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. club — for golf
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cap — a hat
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fork — in a road
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stock — goods
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bass — the fish
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bass — low music
  21. stock — shares
  22. cap — a lid
  23. club — a group
  24. fork — to eat with

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