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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. season — of the year
  7. saw — the tool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rush — hurry
  10. craft — a skill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. tear — from crying
  16. game — a match
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. craft — boats
  21. season — in sport
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bay — a part of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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