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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. rest — a break
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tear — to rip
  12. squash — to crush
  13. tear — from crying
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — of the year
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pass — a permit
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. season — in sport
  24. calf — of the leg

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