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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. kid — to tease
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. season — of the year
  6. kid — child
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rest — what's left
  9. season — in sport
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. tear — to rip
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. row — a line

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