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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. can — a tin
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. can — to be able to
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. roll — a list
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rule — government
  12. file — a document
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fine — high quality
  15. season — in sport
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fine — all right
  18. file — a tool
  19. lie — to recline
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. can — a tin
  24. roll — on a roll

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