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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pass — a permit
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — in sport
  10. band — a ring
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. fine — all right
  13. tear — to rip
  14. band — a music group
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. fine — high quality
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. season — of the year
  24. hide — to keep secret

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