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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. club — a group
  6. net — for catching
  7. march — the month
  8. net — in sport
  9. march — music
  10. dip — to sink
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. net — after costs
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. date — the fruit
  17. march — the month
  18. club — for dancing
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. club — for golf
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. toast — bread
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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