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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 116 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. spell — magic
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. spell — letters
  9. shower — rain
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stock — shares
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. spell — a short time
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pit — a hole
  24. sharp — clever

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