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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. tear — from crying
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fine — all right
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — the month
  9. season — of the year
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fine — high quality
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — a trace
  14. season — in sport
  15. wake — a trail
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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