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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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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: tear · club · patient · safe · chair · lie · kid · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kid — to tease
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. tear — from crying
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kid — child
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lie — to recline
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. season — of the year
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tear — from crying

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