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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. net — for catching
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mark — a grade
  13. key — in music
  14. pop — music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. key — the most important part
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. net — after costs
  20. pop — to visit
  21. net — in sport
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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