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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stock — goods
  5. bank — for money
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. lie — to recline
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stand — to bear
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stock — shares
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. hide — to keep secret

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