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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — in sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. season — of the year
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tear — to rip
  11. net — in sport
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mark — a trace
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. kick — in football
  19. mark — a grade
  20. tear — from crying
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hide — to keep secret

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