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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. season — of the year
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. swing — to play on
  9. key — in music
  10. stand — to bear
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — for catching
  14. cap — a hat
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cap — a lid
  18. tear — to rip
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. tear — from crying
  21. swing — music
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cap — of ice

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