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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pit — in a race
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. kick — in football
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mark — a grade
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — thin
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. season — in sport
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mark — a trace

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