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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. tear — from crying
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fine — all right
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. drill — army training
  13. stock — goods
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mine — for digging
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. mark — a grade

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