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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 120 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. dip — to sink
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. deal — to handle
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. tube — a container
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stock — goods
  22. bat — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bat — for baseball

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