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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. saw — the tool
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. land — to come down
  9. bound — certain
  10. stock — shares
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. land — a country
  13. bound — obliged
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stock — goods
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bark — to shout
  24. land — ground

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