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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. scale — in music
  3. drill — army training
  4. cap — a hat
  5. drill — a practice
  6. net — in sport
  7. stock — shares
  8. cap — of ice
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. net — after costs
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stock — goods
  19. net — for catching
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cap — a lid
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. scale — size or range

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