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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chip — to eat
  4. field — for sport
  5. rock — a stone
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rock — music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stock — shares
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stock — goods
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fine — all right
  24. calf — of the leg

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