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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. last — final
  3. pit — in a race
  4. last — finally
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. season — of the year
  8. wake — a trail
  9. last — to go on
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. season — in sport
  17. lean — thin
  18. rule — government
  19. pit — a hole
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rule — a law
  24. can — a tin

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