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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. march — music
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. season — of the year
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. march — the month
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pass — a permit
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. season — in sport
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. court — of law
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. court — of a king
  22. tear — to rip
  23. court — for sport
  24. march — the month

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