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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bat — the animal
  4. land — ground
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. staff — employees
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. court — of law
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. court — for sport
  14. toast — bread
  15. bark — to shout
  16. land — a country
  17. court — of a king
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. stock — shares
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stock — goods
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. land — to come down

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