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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stock — goods
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. tear — from crying
  5. row — a line
  6. game — wild animals
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — army training
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stock — shares
  19. drill — the tool
  20. game — a match
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — with your hand

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