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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. stock — goods
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. plane — a tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. tear — to rip
  19. season — of the year
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pitch — completely
  22. spring — the season
  23. charge — a price
  24. leaves — of a tree

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