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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. stock — goods
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bass — low music
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bass — the fish
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. march — the month
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. march — the month
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. march — music

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