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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. vault — a safe
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. tear — from crying
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. last — finally
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. saw — the tool
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. stock — shares
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. saw — the tool
  24. craft — boats

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