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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. season — of the year
  3. race — humankind
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — clothes
  7. scale — in music
  8. snap — to click
  9. season — in sport
  10. tear — to rip
  11. race — a contest
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. race — the arms race
  15. spring — of water
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. suit — to fit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spring — the season

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