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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. ball — a dance
  4. tear — from crying
  5. last — finally
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. stock — shares
  9. last — final
  10. stock — goods
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bass — low music
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cold — not warm
  18. court — of a king
  19. bass — the fish
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. last — to go on

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