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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. court — of law
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. saw — the tool
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — shares
  17. court — for sport
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — of a king
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. march — music
  23. roll — a list
  24. tear — to rip

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