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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. row — a line
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. squash — the sport
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. season — of the year
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fall — the season
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — to crush
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tear — to rip
  22. row — to paddle
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — a list

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