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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pop — music
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pop — soda
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mark — a trace
  14. scale — in music
  15. drill — the tool
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pop — to visit
  21. drill — army training
  22. swing — music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. drill — a practice

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