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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 120 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stock — goods
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fine — all right
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. lean — thin
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stock — shares
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. kid — child
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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