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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stock — goods
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — shares
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bat — the animal
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pass — a permit
  22. key — in music
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bulb — for light

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