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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. season — in sport
  3. can — to be able to
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. can — a tin
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. object — a thing
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tear — from crying
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. can — a tin
  20. game — a match
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rest — what's left
  23. season — of the year
  24. patient — a sick person

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