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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. rock — music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stock — shares
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stock — goods
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rock — a stone
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pitch — a sports field

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