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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stock — shares
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mark — a trace
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tear — from crying
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mark — a grade
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stock — goods
  24. foot — the bottom

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