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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. game — a match
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. tear — from crying
  5. band — a ring
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. suit — to fit
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. suit — clothes
  10. game — wild animals
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stock — goods
  19. band — a music group
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — not warm

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