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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. net — in sport
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. kid — child
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bark — to shout
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stock — goods
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. net — for catching
  17. drill — army training
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. fork — in a road
  20. drill — a practice
  21. file — a document
  22. net — after costs
  23. file — a tool
  24. stock — shares

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