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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bass — low music
  4. court — of law
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bass — the fish
  12. date — the fruit
  13. stock — goods
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — for sport
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. court — of a king
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stock — shares
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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