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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. track — a path
  7. clip — a video
  8. bear — the animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bear — the animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. track — a song
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. clip — to cut
  19. track — to keep track
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. clip — for paper

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