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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. present — a gift
  3. stock — shares
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stock — goods
  6. stand — to bear
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. present — the time now
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bark — to shout
  13. present — there
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. land — a country
  21. file — a document
  22. hand — help
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. safe — out of danger

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