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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. race — a contest
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stand — to bear
  15. race — humankind
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. track — a path
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. season — in sport
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stock — shares
  24. date — the fruit

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