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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. toast — bread
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. shower — rain
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bark — to shout
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. board — a committee
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bulb — for light
  18. craft — boats
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stock — shares
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. board — to get on
  23. craft — a skill
  24. shower — to wash

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