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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cold — an illness
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rest — what's left
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. swing — in golf
  13. tear — from crying
  14. swing — music
  15. rest — a break
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. tear — from crying
  19. can — a tin
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. squash — the sport
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. swing — to play on

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