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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stock — goods
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stock — shares
  9. degree — from a university
  10. net — for catching
  11. craft — a skill
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — after costs
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wake — a trail
  18. craft — boats
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. net — in sport
  22. degree — temperature
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — a soup base

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