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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tear — to rip
  5. season — of the year
  6. stand — to bear
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rash — a series
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hand — in cards
  15. track — a path
  16. season — in sport
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rock — music
  21. hand — help
  22. track — a song
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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