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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 120 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bass — the fish
  8. object — to protest
  9. stock — shares
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fall — to drop
  14. object — an aim
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bass — low music
  18. object — a thing
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fall — the season
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ball — a great time

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