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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. clip — a video
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cap — a lid
  7. firm — decided
  8. foot — a measure
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. clip — for paper
  13. tear — to rip
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. firm — a company
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. season — in sport
  24. firm — steady

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