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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — high quality
  7. tear — from crying
  8. season — in sport
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fine — all right
  11. hand — help
  12. march — the month
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wind — moving air
  15. march — music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tear — to rip
  18. march — the month
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — to rob
  22. plane — a tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. plane — an aircraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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