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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stock — shares
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cold — an illness
  6. last — finally
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. tear — to rip
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. deal — to handle
  15. last — to go on
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. stock — goods
  23. last — final
  24. tear — from crying

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