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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tear — to rip
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hand — help
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. dip — to sink
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. ground — crushed
  20. hand — in cards
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rock — a stone

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