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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 116 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. net — after costs
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. capital — money
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. saw — the tool
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. stock — goods
  20. capital — a city
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. stock — shares
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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