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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rash — hasty
  5. land — a country
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rule — a law
  11. kid — child
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. land — ground
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rash — a series
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. land — to come down
  24. rash — on the skin

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