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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. band — a ring
  5. season — of the year
  6. mate — a friend
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. hand — in cards
  11. season — in sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — letters
  14. mate — to breed
  15. tear — to rip
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mate — a partner
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. tear — from crying
  23. band — a music group
  24. rush — hurry

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