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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kid — child
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — to go on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. season — in sport
  11. mine — for digging
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. last — finally
  17. lie — to recline
  18. season — of the year
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. last — final
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fork — in a road
  24. lie — an untruth

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