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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. root — the cause
  3. ball — a great time
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rash — hasty
  6. tear — to rip
  7. content — happy
  8. stock — goods
  9. content — the amount
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fall — the season
  12. root — of a plant
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — a series
  17. stock — shares
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fall — to drop
  21. root — of a word
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ball — a dance

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