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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stock — goods
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mate — a friend
  8. root — of a word
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stock — shares
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mate — a partner
  14. dip — to sink
  15. squash — the sport
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. root — the cause
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bark — to shout
  23. kick — in football
  24. dip — to dunk

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