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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. stock — goods
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stock — shares
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bank — for money
  9. kid — to tease
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kid — child
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. tear — from crying
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. tear — from crying

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