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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stock — shares
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pitch — completely
  5. firm — steady
  6. press — newspapers
  7. firm — decided
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. capital — a city
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. press — a publisher
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. press — to push
  15. game — a match
  16. firm — a company
  17. capital — money
  18. rash — a series
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stock — goods
  24. rash — hasty

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