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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. last — finally
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. hand — help
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bark — to shout
  14. last — to go on
  15. rash — a series
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stock — goods
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stock — shares
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. last — final
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rash — hasty

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