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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. ground — a position
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rush — hurry
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. season — in sport
  16. tear — to rip
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wake — a trail
  19. root — of a word
  20. tear — from crying
  21. root — of a plant
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. sharp — clever
  24. root — the cause

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