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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stock — goods
  9. perch — the fish
  10. hand — help
  11. suit — in cards
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. row — a line
  14. hand — in cards
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stock — shares
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bass — low music
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bass — the fish
  24. tear — to rip

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