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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tear — to rip
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. season — in sport
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fine — high quality
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fine — all right
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ground — a position
  18. hand — help
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tear — from crying
  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