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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. can — a tin
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stock — goods
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stock — shares
  16. pound — a weight
  17. can — a tin
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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