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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cap — a lid
  5. kid — child
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cap — a hat
  13. season — of the year
  14. tear — from crying
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rush — hurry
  20. chest — a box
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. season — in sport
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. rush — to hurry

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