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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's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — of the year
  3. land — a country
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. land — ground
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. mug — to rob
  12. land — to come down
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mug — a face
  18. fork — in a road
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — in traffic

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