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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stock — shares
  4. object — to protest
  5. capital — money
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. craft — boats
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. object — a thing
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. track — to keep track
  23. craft — a skill
  24. stock — goods

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