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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. tear — to rip
  3. field — a subject
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. field — farmland
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pop — music
  16. fork — in a road
  17. field — for sport
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stock — shares
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pop — soda

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