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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bore — to tire
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. march — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — from crying
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. content — the amount
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. season — of the year
  12. march — the month
  13. content — happy
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. season — in sport
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. march — the month
  19. rash — a series
  20. craft — a skill
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. craft — boats
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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