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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stock — shares
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. toast — bread
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stock — goods
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pit — a hole
  18. tear — to rip
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. chest — a box
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fine — all right

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