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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. suit — in cards
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. last — finally
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rash — hasty
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tear — from crying
  19. track — a path
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stock — goods
  22. track — a song
  23. stock — shares
  24. suit — to fit

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