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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. tear — from crying
  12. drill — the tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. drill — army training
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. squash — the sport
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fine — all right

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