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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. tear — from crying
  4. game — a match
  5. staff — employees
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. staff — employees
  9. game — wild animals
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stock — shares
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. tear — from crying
  14. snap — to click
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. rest — a break
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. kid — child
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. kid — to tease

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