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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. can — a tin
  6. present — there
  7. last — finally
  8. tear — from crying
  9. last — to go on
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. last — final
  14. season — of the year
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. season — in sport
  19. can — a tin
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. present — a gift
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. present — the time now

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