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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. object — to protest
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stock — shares
  12. wake — a trail
  13. object — a thing
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rash — a series
  17. tear — from crying
  18. object — an aim
  19. stock — goods
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cabinet — ministers

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