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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tear — to rip
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stock — goods
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. craft — boats
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stand — to bear
  15. march — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. stock — shares
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tear — from crying
  24. march — the month

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