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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stock — goods
  5. pitch — completely
  6. can — a tin
  7. club — for golf
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. club — a group
  10. degree — temperature
  11. deal — to handle
  12. degree — from a university
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bound — tied together
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bound — certain

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