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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. snap — to click
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. craft — a skill
  6. drill — army training
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — a face
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. craft — boats
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pop — soda
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pop — music
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. drill — a practice
  22. tear — to rip
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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