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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. season — in sport
  3. lie — to recline
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. press — to push
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bass — the fish
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. tear — from crying
  11. field — a subject
  12. season — of the year
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tear — to rip
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. press — newspapers
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bass — low music
  23. field — farmland
  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