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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rest — a break
  10. rock — music
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lean — thin
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rule — a law
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rule — government
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rock — a stone
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cold — the Cold War

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