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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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. stock — a soup base
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. land — a country
  6. game — wild animals
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. land — to come down
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — the season
  16. stock — shares
  17. present — there
  18. stock — goods
  19. tear — from crying
  20. present — the time now
  21. land — ground
  22. present — a gift
  23. spring — of water
  24. ruler — for measuring

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