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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 sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. firm — decided
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. capital — a city
  9. bark — to shout
  10. staff — employees
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. staff — employees
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. capital — money
  18. firm — steady
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stock — goods
  22. bass — low music
  23. staff — a stick
  24. firm — a company

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