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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pit — a hole
  6. ball — a great time
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cold — an illness
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pit — in a race
  21. tear — from crying
  22. object — a thing
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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