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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stock — shares
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. stock — goods
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lie — to recline
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mate — a partner
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bark — to shout

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