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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rash — hasty
  6. present — the time now
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. stock — goods
  15. chip — to eat
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. tear — to rip
  18. shower — rain
  19. rash — a series
  20. stock — shares
  21. cap — a hat
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cap — a lid
  24. present — there

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