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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. club — a group
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stock — shares
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chest — of your body
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stock — goods
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chest — a box
  19. club — for golf
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bass — low music

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