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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. season — in sport
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — to rip
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. season — of the year

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