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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. tear — to rip
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. court — of a king
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ground — crushed
  7. season — of the year
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bank — for money
  10. ground — a position
  11. tear — from crying
  12. court — of law
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bank — for money
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bank — of a river
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. court — for sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. season — in sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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