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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. firm — steady
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stock — goods
  5. tear — from crying
  6. staff — employees
  7. stock — shares
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rock — music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rock — a stone
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wake — a trail

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