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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. 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. tear — from crying
  2. spell — magic
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. season — of the year
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cap — a hat
  7. tear — to rip
  8. spell — letters
  9. cap — a lid
  10. season — in sport
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spell — a short time
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cap — of ice
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. shower — rain
  17. chip — to eat
  18. 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