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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. tear — to rip
  5. season — of the year
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. capital — money
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. capital — a city
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mark — a trace

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