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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stock — shares
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. date — the fruit
  10. pop — soda
  11. file — a tool
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. file — a document
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rock — a stone
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. stock — goods
  24. tear — to rip

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