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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitch — completely
  7. charge — in control
  8. tear — from crying
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stock — goods
  14. race — a contest
  15. charge — a price
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. race — humankind
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bark — to shout

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