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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. row — to paddle
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. tear — from crying
  11. suit — clothes
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. season — of the year
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. suit — in cards
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. row — a line
  22. tear — to rip
  23. season — in sport
  24. suit — to fit

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