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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. file — a tool
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bowl — to roll

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