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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mug — a face
  5. season — of the year
  6. spell — a short time
  7. row — a line
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. tear — from crying
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rush — hurry
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mug — a cup
  17. spell — magic
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. season — in sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spell — letters
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mug — to rob

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