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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. season — in sport
  3. lie — to recline
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pit — in a race
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. snap — to click
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. present — the time now
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. season — of the year

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