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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stock — goods
  3. field — for sport
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rock — music
  7. kick — in football
  8. rock — a stone
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. field — a subject
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bark — to shout
  21. field — farmland
  22. stock — shares
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. straw — dry grass

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