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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. band — a music group
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. bear — the animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pass — a permit
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. tear — to rip
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. band — a ring

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