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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stock — shares
  5. cap — a hat
  6. row — a line
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stand — to bear
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cap — a lid
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. land — ground
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. land — a country
  19. key — the most important part
  20. land — to come down
  21. stock — goods
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. key — in music

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