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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stock — shares
  3. face — to confront
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wind — moving air
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rest — a break
  12. stock — goods
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pit — in a race
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pit — a hole

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