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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cold — an illness
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — music
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cold — not warm
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pit — in a race
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. season — in sport
  24. plane — a tool

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