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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. dip — to sink
  6. tear — to rip
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hand — in cards
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. season — of the year
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. season — in sport
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — a series
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. hand — help
  22. rash — hasty
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. dip — to dunk

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