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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. season — in sport
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. last — finally
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wake — a trail
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. patient — a sick person

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