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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — in sport
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. race — a contest
  6. rash — hasty
  7. race — humankind
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tear — from crying
  18. dip — to sink
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. race — the arms race
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rash — on the skin

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