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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. race — a contest
  8. mine — for digging
  9. craft — a skill
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. dip — to sink
  13. shower — to wash
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stock — goods
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. craft — boats
  20. shower — rain
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. dip — a sauce

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