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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mark — a trace
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — a stone
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rock — music
  10. ground — the earth
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. season — of the year
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ground — a position
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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