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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. key — the most important part
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. key — in music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bat — the animal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rule — government
  20. tear — from crying
  21. key — for a lock
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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