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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stock — goods
  9. sharp — clever
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bark — to shout
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stock — shares
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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