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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. suit — clothes
  5. kid — to tease
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. tear — from crying
  9. season — in sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stand — to bear
  13. suit — in cards
  14. saw — the tool
  15. suit — to fit
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. season — of the year
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. season — to add flavour

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