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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · hand · bark · hide · safe · cue · game · stock

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stock — goods
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. game — a match
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cue — a hint
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cue — a signal
  15. hand — in cards
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. stock — shares
  22. hand — help
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. game — wild animals

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