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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rule — government
  14. hand — in cards
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. hand — help
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rule — a law
  19. deal — to handle
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. season — of the year
  24. tear — from crying

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