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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rule — a law
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mate — a friend
  8. root — of a word
  9. season — in sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. mate — a partner
  12. root — of a plant
  13. season — of the year
  14. lean — thin
  15. rule — government
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. root — the cause
  23. lean — to bend
  24. season — to add flavour

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