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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. season — of the year
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stock — goods
  17. season — in sport
  18. drill — a practice
  19. stock — shares
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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