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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 120 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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. net — in sport
  3. stock — shares
  4. object — an aim
  5. tear — from crying
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. court — of law
  9. tear — from crying
  10. court — of a king
  11. net — for catching
  12. stock — goods
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. object — a thing
  16. court — for sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. net — after costs
  19. tear — to rip
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. object — to protest

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