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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spring — the season
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. ball — a dance
  5. dip — to sink
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ball — a great time
  17. stock — goods
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stock — shares
  20. tear — to rip
  21. track — a song
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. track — a path
  24. sharp — exactly

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