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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. firm — decided
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — from a university
  6. net — after costs
  7. stock — shares
  8. present — the time now
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. firm — a company
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. present — there
  14. net — in sport
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. degree — an amount
  17. branch — a division
  18. bark — to shout
  19. degree — temperature
  20. present — a gift
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. net — for catching
  23. firm — steady
  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