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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 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pit — in a race
  5. game — a match
  6. cap — a lid
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cap — of ice
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. lean — thin
  20. last — finally
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pit — a hole
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. land — ground

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