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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. court — of law
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. court — of a king
  13. tube — the underground
  14. court — for sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. press — a publisher
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rash — a series
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tube — a container
  24. tear — from crying

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