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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stock — shares
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. hand — help
  5. object — an aim
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rest — a break
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. hand — in cards
  10. present — a gift
  11. bound — certain
  12. board — to get on
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bark — to shout
  15. board — a committee
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bound — tied together
  21. stock — goods
  22. present — there
  23. object — a thing
  24. present — the time now

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