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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. swing — music
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. swing — to play on
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. charge — a price
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stock — goods
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. swing — in golf
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stock — shares
  24. file — a document

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