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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. stock — shares
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cell — a phone
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cell — in biology
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stock — goods
  14. content — happy
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rest — what's left
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. content — the amount
  24. perch — the fish

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