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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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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. game — a kind of play
  4. tear — from crying
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. season — of the year
  7. suit — clothes
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. game — wild animals
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. press — to push
  14. tear — from crying
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pop — music
  19. press — a publisher
  20. kid — child
  21. game — a match
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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