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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lean — thin
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hand — in cards
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stock — shares
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hand — help
  17. rash — a series
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. present — there
  21. stock — goods
  22. present — the time now
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stock — a soup base

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