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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. toast — bread
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stock — goods
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. roll — a list
  14. kick — in football
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wind — moving air
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stock — shares
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bear — the animal

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