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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. tear — from crying
  4. suit — in cards
  5. tear — from crying
  6. sharp — clever
  7. field — farmland
  8. rash — hasty
  9. field — for sport
  10. pound — a weight
  11. suit — to fit
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. field — a subject
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. suit — clothes
  17. kick — in football
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — goods

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