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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fine — all right
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fine — high quality
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mate — a friend
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chest — a box
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. stock — shares
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chair — a professorship

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