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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. tear — from crying
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. fall — the season
  9. vault — a safe
  10. staff — employees
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fine — high quality
  13. staff — employees
  14. tear — from crying
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pop — music
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. season — in sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pop — soda

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