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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 124 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stock — shares
  3. chest — of your body
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bark — to shout
  6. shower — rain
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chest — of your body
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stock — goods
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. field — for sport
  14. track — a song
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. track — a path

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