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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rule — a law
  6. spring — the season
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rest — a break
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. spring — of water
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pound — a weight
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rule — government
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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