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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. craft — boats
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. ball — a great time
  5. face — to confront
  6. rush — hurry
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. ball — a dance
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stock — goods
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — to point toward
  19. stock — shares
  20. file — a tool
  21. craft — a skill
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. face — part of the head
  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