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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stock — shares
  5. drill — the tool
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. craft — boats
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bark — to shout
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. capital — money
  16. board — a committee
  17. craft — a skill
  18. board — to get on
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. capital — a city

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