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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stock — goods
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. field — for sport
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rash — hasty
  9. field — farmland
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rash — a series
  12. press — to push
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tear — from crying
  17. press — a publisher
  18. stock — shares
  19. squash — to crush
  20. field — a subject
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. suit — clothes
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stock — a soup base

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