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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. tear — from crying
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. season — of the year
  7. game — a match
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. face — to point toward
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. date — the fruit
  15. last — finally
  16. season — in sport
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tear — from crying
  20. last — final
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. last — to go on

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