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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. tear — from crying
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mate — to breed
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. season — of the year
  10. tear — to rip
  11. content — the amount
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bound — certain
  15. season — in sport
  16. content — happy
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bound — tied together
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bound — obliged
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mate — a partner

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