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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. season — of the year
  5. tear — from crying
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. object — an aim
  8. season — in sport
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. stock — goods
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stock — shares
  13. bat — the animal
  14. board — to get on
  15. object — a thing
  16. clip — to cut
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. tear — to rip
  19. clip — a video
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. object — to protest
  23. board — a committee
  24. tear — from crying

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