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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. kick — in football
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. board — to get on
  9. stock — shares
  10. last — final
  11. file — a line of people
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. roll — a cake
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. tear — from crying
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stock — goods
  24. board — a committee

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