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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tear — from crying
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tear — to rip
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. dip — to sink
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. stock — shares
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stock — goods
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cabinet — ministers

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