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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stand — to bear
  8. net — for catching
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. ground — the earth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pound — for dogs

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