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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rule — a law
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rule — government
  12. hand — in cards
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ball — a dance
  16. tear — to rip
  17. ball — a great time
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. season — of the year
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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