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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cold — an illness
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tear — from crying
  6. object — an aim
  7. tear — from crying
  8. season — in sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tear — to rip
  11. suit — in cards
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. object — to protest
  15. suit — clothes
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. object — a thing
  18. ball — a dance
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. suit — to fit
  22. stock — goods
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fall — the season

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