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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — a break
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. object — an aim
  7. stock — shares
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. object — a thing
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stock — goods
  18. club — for golf
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. object — to protest
  24. fork — a garden tool

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