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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — of the year
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. clip — for paper
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. perch — the fish
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. season — in sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. last — to go on

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