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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. track — a path
  5. field — for sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stock — shares
  9. squash — the sport
  10. lie — to recline
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rock — a stone
  14. field — a subject
  15. track — a song
  16. staff — employees
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. field — farmland
  19. staff — employees
  20. tear — from crying
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rock — music
  24. staff — a stick

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