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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. track — a path
  3. stock — goods
  4. drill — a practice
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. drill — army training
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. track — a song
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stock — shares
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. staff — employees
  17. tear — from crying
  18. staff — employees
  19. drill — the tool
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lash — to lash out

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