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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. tear — to rip
  4. season — of the year
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. land — a country
  7. tear — from crying
  8. season — in sport
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rock — a stone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rock — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. land — to come down
  16. game — wild animals
  17. land — ground
  18. game — a match

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