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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. tear — to rip
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cold — an illness
  5. content — happy
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cold — not warm
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stock — goods
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mine — for digging
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — from crying
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. content — the amount
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — shares

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