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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rock — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pop — to visit
  8. swing — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pop — soda
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. squash — the sport
  18. tear — to rip
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. swing — in golf
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. season — in sport
  23. pop — music
  24. tear — from crying

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