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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 124 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. field — for sport
  6. cue — a hint
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cue — a signal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. season — of the year
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. field — a subject
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rock — music
  22. season — in sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. cue — for pool

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