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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. file — a line of people
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stock — goods
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — hurry
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. file — a document
  16. stock — shares
  17. tear — to rip
  18. net — for catching
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rush — a thrill

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