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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rule — a law
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bark — to shout
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. stock — shares
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rule — government
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tube — a container
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stock — goods
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rule — to rule out

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