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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. suit — clothes
  3. rock — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. suit — in cards
  6. charge — a price
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stock — shares
  13. bear — the animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cold — an illness
  18. prune — to trim
  19. tear — to rip
  20. suit — to fit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. charge — in control
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cold — the Cold War

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