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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ground — a position
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. suit — clothes
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. suit — to fit
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cold — not warm
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cold — an illness
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cold — the Cold War

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