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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · hide · court · jam · bowl · clip · season · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. season — in sport
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tear — to rip
  9. court — for sport
  10. clip — for paper
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — a video
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. tear — from crying
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. court — of a king
  21. clip — to cut
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. lie — to recline
  24. court — of law

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