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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. suit — clothes
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tear — to rip
  6. suit — in cards
  7. stock — shares
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stock — goods
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. suit — to fit
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cabinet — ministers

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