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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bank — for money
  4. stock — shares
  5. charge — electricity
  6. court — for sport
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. bark — to shout
  12. charge — a price
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. charge — in control
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. sharp — clever
  24. dip — a sauce

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