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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stock — shares
  8. tear — from crying
  9. clip — to cut
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stock — goods
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. clip — a video
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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