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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 124 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — of the year
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. scale — in music
  9. stock — shares
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. season — in sport
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wake — a trail
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. tear — to rip
  20. scale — size or range
  21. net — for catching
  22. stock — goods
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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