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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mate — a partner
  3. field — a subject
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tear — from crying
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tear — to rip
  8. key — in music
  9. bulb — for light
  10. season — of the year
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mate — a friend
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. season — in sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mate — to breed
  19. field — farmland
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. key — for a lock
  24. field — for sport

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