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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. stock — shares
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rash — a series
  5. mug — a face
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bark — to shout
  20. drill — army training
  21. stock — goods
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. drill — the tool

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