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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. capital — money
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. season — in sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. season — of the year
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. spell — magic
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pit — in a race
  12. tear — from crying
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pit — a hole
  15. capital — a city
  16. spell — letters
  17. tear — from crying
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. tear — to rip
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spell — a short time
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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