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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pop — music
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. season — in sport
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pop — soda
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tube — a container
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pop — to visit
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. row — a line

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