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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. stock — goods
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. march — the month
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stock — shares
  19. face — part of the head
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bark — to shout
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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