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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stock — shares
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. foot — a measure
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — to shout
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stock — goods
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. leaves — to go away

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