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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. field — for sport
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cap — of ice
  13. field — a subject
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rush — hurry
  20. field — farmland
  21. cap — a lid
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. rush — to hurry

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