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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tear — from crying
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. tear — from crying
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. field — a subject
  7. last — final
  8. field — for sport
  9. scale — in music
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. last — finally
  13. tear — to rip
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. last — to go on
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stock — goods
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. field — farmland
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stock — shares

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