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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cap — of ice
  4. spell — magic
  5. ground — the earth
  6. spell — a short time
  7. season — in sport
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cap — a lid
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cap — a hat
  14. season — of the year
  15. ground — a position
  16. spell — letters
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fine — all right
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fine — high quality
  24. tear — from crying

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