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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. season — of the year
  3. suit — in cards
  4. track — a path
  5. ground — the earth
  6. suit — to fit
  7. press — newspapers
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. tear — from crying
  10. suit — clothes
  11. tear — from crying
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. season — in sport
  17. press — to push
  18. club — a group
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. club — for golf
  22. press — a publisher
  23. club — for dancing
  24. tear — to rip

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