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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tear — from crying
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. lean — thin
  6. tear — to rip
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chair — a leader
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stock — goods
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. race — a contest
  19. squash — the sport
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. race — humankind
  22. stock — shares
  23. lie — to recline
  24. race — the arms race

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