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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. file — a tool
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pop — soda
  7. file — a document
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stock — goods
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bound — certain
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. file — a line of people
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pop — music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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