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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. tube — a container
  6. swing — in golf
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pit — a hole
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. row — a line
  11. stock — goods
  12. tube — the underground
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rock — music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rock — a stone
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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