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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. press — to push
  5. current — electric
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. roll — a list
  9. bark — to shout
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stock — shares
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. current — of water
  16. press — a publisher
  17. roll — a cake
  18. current — happening now
  19. pit — a hole
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stock — goods
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. press — newspapers

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