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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. tear — from crying
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cold — an illness
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rash — a series
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — shares
  20. lean — thin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stock — goods
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rash — on the skin

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